Chapter 13: Chapter 11: Imbuement and Attunement.

Chapter 11: Imbuement and Attunement.

Zeke arrived at the old house where he was supposed to meet Maximilian, nestled among the trees on the academy grounds. He hadn't known that such a secluded place existed on campus, and he had had to ask a number of people for directions before finally finding it. The house appeared ancient, with peeling paint and an almost dilapidated roof. The mansion seemed to be embroiled in a losing battle with the surrounding fauna. It seemed out of place among the modern buildings of the academy.

Zeke hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had the right location. But he had been given specific instructions, and he knew this was the right place by looking at the name on the plaque at the door. He squared his shoulders and approached the front door, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the quiet forest. As he reached out to knock, the door creaked open. Zeke peeked through the crack, his nerves jangling. He couldn't make out anything. Zeke stepped inside the house, surprised by what he saw. The interior was clean and tastefully decorated, with expensive-looking furnishings and intricate details. It didn't look ostentatious, but rather exuded a sense of quality and refinement. Zeke couldn't help but feel a twinge of awe as he looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of the luxurious surroundings. However, Maximilian was nowhere to be found. Zeke scanned the room, trying to get a sense of where the nobleman might be. As he looked around, he noticed a number of magical contraptions scattered about the room. Some were glowing softly, while others seemed to be humming with energy. Zeke couldn't determine their purpose, but he had a feeling they played a crucial role in whatever it was Maximilian was up to.

Just as Zeke started to feel uneasy, Maximilian von Hohenheim stepped into the room, a smile on his face. "Ezekiel, my boy," he said, his eyes sparkling with life and playfulness. Zeke watched as Maximilian approached him, his heart racing. He had made his decision, and now it was time to see if the old man would follow through on his offer. "So," Maximilian said, his voice full of enthusiasm. "Why have you come to see me today?" Zeke took a deep breath and spoke up, his voice firm. "I've come to accept your offer, Maximilian," he said. "I'm ready to become your student, and to do whatever it takes to create a better future for myself and my family."

Maximilian beamed, a look of pride crossing his face. "I knew you would come around, Ezekiel," he said. "I have no doubt that you will have a bright future. Together, we will change the world." Zeke calmed down a bit upon hearing the excitement in Maximilian's voice. The old man gestured for him to follow, and Zeke obediently fell into step behind him. They entered a room that resembled an office, and Maximilian motioned for Zeke to take a seat at the table. Two formal-looking contracts lay on the surface of the desk, and Zeke immediately recognized them as the legal paperwork for an adoption into a noble family.

The contracts were surprisingly simple, with little in the way of legal jargon. Zeke quickly skimmed through them, noting the various provisions and clauses. But as he reached the end of the second page, Zeke was surprised to see the position that Maximilian wanted him to take in his family - prime heir.

Zeke stared at the words for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing. Maximilian was offering him the chance to become his heir, the one who would inherit his vast fortune and estates. It was a staggering offer, one that Zeke could hardly comprehend. Zeke looked up at Maximilian, his thoughts racing. He had always known that the old man had big plans for him, but he had never expected anything like this.

"I accept," he said, his voice firm, before he bent down and signed the contract as well as the copy. Maximilian had already put his signature on both of them. He really must have expected Zeke to come around.

Maximilian saw the look of happiness on Zeke's face and smiled. "Calm down, Ezekiel," he said. "Of course, you would have the position of prime heir. My family only has two members - you and me." Zeke visibly deflated upon hearing this, and Maximilian chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "It's still not that bad," he said. "I am quite wealthy, after all. And even though my family doesn't have many members, I am still a very respected and powerful mage." Zeke couldn't help but feel a little better upon hearing Maximilian's words. He had never wanted to be part of a large collection of family members who only banded together for the sake of convenience, anyway. He knew that he had much to be grateful for. Maximilian was offering him a chance to become a noble, to inherit his wealth and status and, much more importantly, to learn magic far above what was taught at the academy. It was a rare and valuable opportunity, one that Zeke would be foolish to pass up.

"Thank you, Maximilian," Zeke said, his voice sincere. "I won't let you down."

Maximilian grinned, his eyes twinkling. "I have no doubt of that, Ezekiel," he said. "We have much work to do, but I have a feeling that great things are in store for us. Now that this is done, let's start right away," Maximilian said, his voice full of enthusiasm. "I'll start by telling you about the Trinity project. It's a combination of applied magic that allows you to observe and evaluate the world in a truly scientific way. But before I explain more to you, do you know about spell engraving?"

Zeke shook his head, a look of confusion on his face. "I've heard the term before," he said, "but I'm not certain what it means. I'm sorry."

Maximilian looked disappointed, but he didn't let it show for long. "I can't believe they didn't teach you about spell engraving yet," he said. "I bet those brats in the elemental classes learned about it on the first day! Well, no matter. Let me explain it to you." With that, Maximilian rose from his seat and walked over to a nearby shelf. He returned a moment later with a white rectangular board in his hand, which he placed in front of Zeke. He sat down again, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Spell engraving is a process in which we inscribe magical formulas onto physical objects," he explained. "By doing so, we imbue the objects with specific magical properties. It's a complex and precise process, requiring a deep understanding of magic and its applications."

Zeke listened intently, his mind racing with the possibilities. He had always been fascinated by magic, and the idea of being able to imbue objects with magical properties was thrilling.

"But that's not why spell engraving is important for us right now," Maximilian said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. He closed his eyes for a moment, seeming to focus on something. Suddenly, the white board in front of them began to change, an image appearing on its surface. Zeke leaned in to get a better look, his eyes wide with curiosity. The image depicted a round sphere that was split into three sections. Maximilian opened his eyes and gestured to the board. "This is your magic core," he explained. "It's split into three affinities. I'm sure you're aware of the different ranks of mages," Maximilian started, but upon seeing the look on Zeke's face, he paused. Zeke just shook his head and Maximilian sighed. "It looks like we have to start with the basics before we can talk about spell engraving. Anyway, you're what we call an apprentice-rank mage right now. So this is what your core looks like." He pointed to the board, his eyes shining with excitement.

Zeke stared at the image, his mind racing with the implications. He had never had a magic lesson that was explained in such a clear and concise manner, instead of the esoteric mumbo jumbo he was used to. He couldn't wait to learn more about his magic core and discover its full potential.

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"When you cast magic," Maximilian continued, "the unattuned natural mana that surrounds us travels through your body and into your core." As he spoke, the board illustrated his words, showing a body that was sucking up mana and guiding it to its core. "And as soon as the mana has traveled through your core, it becomes what we call attuned mana - mana that has been altered to have an affinity. In your case, you are able to attune the ambient mana to blood, space, or mind mana." Zeke listened carefully, his eyes focused on the process displayed. He had always known that magic was a complex and multifaceted force, but he had never heard the mechanics behind it explained as clearly as it was right now. Now, thanks to Maximilian's explanation and the visual aids, he was beginning to get a better sense of how it all worked. "I know that you have a perfect affinity for blood magic," Maximilian said, "but you probably don't know what that really means." He pointed to the board, where a white mana stream went through the picture of a core and came out on the other side as a red stream that was approximately half as wide as the one going in. "You can see that the amount of mana coming out of the core is not the same as the amount of mana going in. This has to do with the affinity level of the core. As you may have heard, a regular magic affinity is somewhere around 50%. That means that only half the mana going into the core comes out as attuned mana. The rest of the mana is lost in the conversion."

Zeke frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. He had always known that there are limits to how many spells can be cast before a mage has to stop, but he had never understood exactly why. Now, thanks to Maximilian's explanation, he was beginning to see the underlying mechanics behind it all. He was pretty certain he knew the reason why he had to stop casting after a while, so he gave voice to his thoughts: "It can't be that the other half of the mana going into my core just vanishes. What happens to it?"

Maximilian smiled upon hearing Zeke's question, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Very observant," he said. "That's why I like to teach Mind Mages. They have a natural curiosity and a sharp eye for detail." He closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "The other half of the mana gets transformed into unusable forms of energy - mostly heat, but also light and different forms of radiation. This is usually not a problem, as your core is pretty resistant to most forms of energy. However, if you use too much mana, your core will start to hurt a little. If you don't stop using magic by then, you will damage your core and the rest of your body will follow as soon as the energy spills through the cracks of your damaged core. So, you have to remember to stop using magic when you reach your limit." As Maximilian spoke, the board showed a cracked core, with different kinds of energy leaking out and damaging the body.

Maximilian was very serious as he spoke about this, and Zeke knew that he had to take his words to heart. He made a mental note to be careful with his magic usage and to always pay attention to his limits. "But that's not as much of a problem for you as it is for other people," Maximilian said, smiling at Zeke again. "Having a perfect core means that your affinity for blood magic is above 90%. That means that almost all the mana going into your core comes out on the other side as blood mana. It would be very hard for you to put any strain on your blood core. You also have a 'greater affinity' for space and mind magic, which means your conversion rate is between 70% and 90%. You'll have to be a bit more careful, but a greater affinity is still a huge boon, and you shouldn't run into any problems while still being in the apprentice rank. That's because apprentice spells just don't use a lot of mana."

Zeke listened intently, he had never realized just how much his affinity levels affected his abilities as a mage. He made a mental note to be careful with his magic usage and to pay attention to his limits, but he was also filled with excitement because it seemed his core gave him a huge advantage when compared to most of his peers.

"Anyway, it seems I've gone off on a tangent for a bit," Maximilian said, shaking his head slightly. "The moment the mana passes through your core, you have to force your intent into the mana. Your intent is what gives the spell its shape. Do you want it to be a sphere? A sword? That is controlled by your intent. So you have to decide what kind of spell you want to cast before you send the mana to your core. When you cast a spell, the mana travels through your core, where it gets attuned to one of your affinities and imbued with your intent. We call these two steps imbuement and attunement." As he spoke, the white board showed a white stream of mana going into the core and a red fireball coming out.

Zeke watched the display intently, his eyes narrowed as he tried to absorb all the information. He knew that there was still much he had to learn about magic, but he was determined not to miss even a little bit of the knowledge that was presented to him in such an easy-to-understand format.

"Did you understand all that?" Maximilian asked, looking at Zeke intently. Zeke nodded. "I think so, teacher," he said.

Maximilian was surprised by the address for a moment, but then he chuckled and ruffled Zeke's head. "No need to act so distant, my boy. How about you call me Uncle Max from now on?"

Zeke looked nonplussed by the hand on his head and stared at Maximilian for a while before a wicked grin appeared on his face. "Sure thing, GRANDPA Max," he said. Maximilian just laughed it off and said, "Jokes on you, I like that even better! Anyway, I think this is enough for today. It's getting late. How about we continue this tomorrow?" Zeke was unwilling to stop the lesson at this point, as he was having fun, but he knew that it really was getting late, and he had a long way home. As he tried to say his goodbyes to Maximilian, he was interrupted by the older man. "Huh? What do you mean, goodbye? Where do you think you're going?" Maximilian asked, a look of surprise on his face.

Zeke was confused as well, so he just blurted out what he was thinking, "Home?"

Maximilian chuckled and said, "Do you really think I'll let you go back to your tiny room in the beggars' quarters? Don't forget who you are now: Ezekiel von Hohenheim." Zeke let the words sink in as he followed Maximilian upstairs. As he walked up the stairs, he wiped away his tears, hoping that Maximilian wouldn't notice.

Maximilian guided Zeke to a room on the second floor that was equipped with beautiful furniture and a bed that was roughly the size of Zeke's current apartment. Maximilian stayed at the door and let Zeke explore for a while before asking, "So, what do you think? Do you want to stay here?" Zeke fell in love with the room at first sight and instead of answering, he simply let himself fall on the bed, face first, and sank into the mattress. Maximilian chuckled at Zeke's antics and simply closed the door before leaving. Zeke turned onto his back and stared at the beautifully carved ceiling. For the first time since coming to the academy, he felt like things were going to turn out fine. He closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh, feeling a sense of peace wash over him. Finally, he had found a place where he belonged.

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